1/20/2005 @ 11:00AM

Slam, Bang, Buy: Guerilla Marketing Grabs Your Attention

Hot Trend: The strangely garbed figure that leaps out at you from behind a bush may not be a sociopath, or a super hero, but a guerilla marketer. This strategy, also called stealth, street, buzz or ambush marketing, is on the rise, says FIND/SVP Marketing Consultant Bruce Warr.

Why: “The more media messages we get, the fewer we listen to,” says Warr, and marketers are looking for more opportunities to “get in the face” of their targets. Street marketing campaigns are a lot less expensive than traditional rollouts, and the trend has also gotten some impetus from Malcolm Gladwell’s influential societal trends book The Tipping Point.

Opportunity: Guerilla marketing is traditionally used to push products that appeal to college students and Gen-Yers, not to mention products that can be distributed on campuses and at fairs and block parties–Axe body spray and Red Bull are two of the players. But marketers are now also beginning to try humorous, subversive approaches to captivate jaded Boomers, such as McNeil Consumer’s branded port-a-potty campaign for–you guessed it–Imodium AD. The Internet is also a key tool in “viral” marketing, which may offer opportunities to cutting-edge Web marketing firms.

Danger: “Know where to draw the line between playful and offensive,” says Warr, and check locations carefully for any potential hazards. If you dabble in the unexpected, you invite unexpected responses.

Companies To Watch: Well, if we knew, it wouldn’t really be guerilla, would it? But keep your eye on veterans Tylenol, Snapple, Altoids, and
Procter & Gamble
.